Busting myths about sharks (PHOTOS)

A University of West Florida professor is helping debunk myths and clear up facts about one of the ocean’s most feared creatures.

KATIE TAMMEN / Daily News

PENSACOLA — A University of West Florida professor is helping debunk myths and clear up facts about one of the ocean’s most feared creatures.

Statistics professor Raid Amin has worked with shark-human interaction specialist Erich Ritter for nearly six years to explore shark behavior.

Their latest research has found that sharks approach humans from behind 82 percent of the time and tend to avoid them altogether if two people are positioned back to back.

“(Statistics) looks boring and it sounds boring, but once you know enough of it, the beauty of it is you can apply it to anything,” Amin said. “ … (Ritter) showed me a video of a shark and the first thing I said was, ‘I can see the numbers.’ ”

See more photos of Ritter swimming with sharks. >>

The two men met when Ritter was in Pensacola and in need of a statistician. He got on the Internet and came across Amin.

“I saw his face and I liked his face,” Ritter said with a laugh.

After checking Amin’s credentials, they met up in a cafeteria at UWF and have worked together ever since.

Amin said the goal is to explore as many opinions about sharks as they can with a scientific and mathematical approach. Their most recent findings were published in two scientific journals and featured in The Economist.

“No one is even trying to publish something similar,” Amin said.

In another project, the men found sharks were less likely to approach humans who were vertical than those who were horizontal.

Fieldwork is left to Ritter because Amin likes numbers just fine; he has no interest in getting in the water with sharks.

By the time they’re done, Ritter hopes people can better understand and the creatures he’s spent a career studying.